E-ZPass toll hike on Delaware Water Gap bridges starting January 2024
E-ZPass toll hike on Delaware Water Gap bridges starting January 2024
Crossing over the Delaware Water Gap will become more expensive for commuters starting in the new year.
According to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC), the final changes of a toll adjustment proposal are set to take effect on January 7, 2024—causing an increase to personal vehicles using E-ZPass.
Back on March 29, 2021, the DRJTBC approved the adjusted rates to be charged at the following toll bridges:
- Trenton-Morrisville (Route 1)
- Scudder Falls (I-295)
- New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202)
- I-78, Easton-Phillipsburg (Route 22)
- Portland-Columbia, Delaware Water Gap (I-80)
- Milford-Montague (Route 206)
The DRJTBC says that the 2024 toll rates and discount changes apply only to E-ZPass transactions involving passenger vehicles and passenger vehicles with a bumber-hitched trailer in tow.
The following tolls will take effect on January 7, 2024, according to the DRJTBC:
- The E-ZPass toll rate for Class 1 vehicles will increase 25 cents to a $1.50 toll instead of the current $1.25 rate.
- Additionally, because of that 25-cent increase, the rate for a Class 1 vehicle with a bumper-hitch trailer or vehicle in tow will increase to a $3.50 toll from the current $3.25 rate. (However, per-axle commercial/truck rates [$4.50 or $5 per axle] apply for Class 1 vehicles with gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailers in tow. These rates remain unchanged, the DRJTBC said.)
Additionally, on January 1, 2024, the DRJTBC will be expiring its 21-year-old frequency-based commuter discount program, which provides a 20 percent discount. It was originally set to 40 percent, but was lowered to 20 as part of a three-year phase-out process.
The DRJTBC explained its reasoning for the rate changes in a statement:
The 2024 rates were part of a new two-tier toll-pricing policy intended to offset revenue declines triggered by the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic, ensure payment of long-term financial obligations, and provide sufficient funding for planned capital projects.
For more information on Class 1 and Class 2 vehicles:
CLASS 1 — This includes vehicles with up to 2 axles and less than 8-feet high.
- A passenger vehicle with a trailer or vehicle in tow is charged an additional $2, regardless of the number of rolling axles.
- Per-axle commercial/truck rates ($4.50 or $5 per axle) apply for Class 1 vehicles with gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailers in tow. See rates for Class 3, 4, or 5, as applicable.)
CLASS 2 & UP — This includes any vehicle 8 feet or above in height with two or more axles (Tolls are $4.50 per axle for E-ZPass, and $5 per axle for cash/Toll-By-Plate).
- Class 2 (two-axle) vehicles include: small box trucks, flatbed trucks, school buses, small recreational vehicles, some sprinter vans, and some conversion vans.
- Class 1 vehicles with gooseneck, or fifth-wheel trailers in tow also are also charged $4.50 per axle E-ZPass and $5 cash/TOLL-BY-PLATE.
- Class 2 (two axles) and Class 3 (three axles) vehicles with trailers are charged an additional $4.50 for E-ZPass or $5 cash/TOLL-BY-PLATE for each additional axle in tow.
All other rates are expected to remain unchanged at this time.
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